Council Members: When Can Occupy Austin Trespassers Return?

Members of the Austin Police Department arrest Occupied Austin protesters.

Photo by Ann Harkness http://www.flickr.com/photos/annharkness/)

After last Saturday's 45 arrests at the Occupy Austin protest at city hall, some council members are now asking questions about the notices of criminal trespassing that were issued.

At today's Austin city council meeting, Laura Morrison and Kathie Tovo voiced concern about whether those who had received the notices would be allowed to return and conduct city business and how long that might take.

Council member Tovo said that she had received a call from a subcontractor for a city project who was issued a criminal trespassing notice. The subcontractor asked if and when he would be allowed to come back and conduct his business.

Tovo said that she had talked to City Manager Marc Ott about what constitutes "city business," and whether or not that includes citizen communication period.

"I'm hopeful we'll get some answers," Tovo said.

A city memo released Wednesday said protestors could request an invididual review of their case, according to the Statesman, but it remained unclear how long those reviews could take.

Related Content

Texas State University undergraduate student Tony Gibson says he shot this video of the Saturday night arrests at the Occupy Austin protest at City Hall. Demonstrators refused to move to allow crews to pressure wash the ground.

Their decision to stay put stemmed from arrests earlier in the night over a new city rule requiring food tables be removed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Dozens of demonstrators have gathered outside city hall today as part of an emerging social movement inspired by an encampment set up three weeks ago on Wall Street in New York City. Occupy Austin protestors are taking turns speaking their minds on issues generally related to the rich-poor divide and the influence of wealth on American politics.

Occupy Austin protestors spent a second day outside city hall today to express their grievances about issues ranging from socioeconomic stratification to the role of money in the political process. Demonstrators say they plan to keep people there around the clock until December.

Given that Austin is anchored by a major academic institution, we thought an academic perspective might be in order. We contacted Michael P. Young, a social movements scholar in the department of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin.